Welcome Home
by Hayley Cometra
Summary: Second episode of the “Hayley Cometra” series. Two days have passed since Hayley’s return, and everyone except Chiro is planning a surprise for her. But they may need it sooner than they think. Done! Chapter Six is up!
1. Play Time

Episode Title: "Welcome Home"

Disclaimer: I don't own SRMTHFG or any of its characters, just my character and this plot.

Special Thanks: Before I begin, I would like to give my biggest thank-yous to **shamaru1**, **love-writer**, and **Crystal Persian**. I have noticed that all three of you have classified me as one of your favorite authors. Also, many thanks to **love-writer**, **FireNovaLover**, and **Crystal Persian** for making my very first fanfic one of your favorites. Everyone else who reviewed, you already have my thanks. I hope that my future stories will prove worthy of your trust.

And speaking of future stories…

* * *

**Chapter One: Play Time**

It would have started as just another day in the Super Robot…except for the fact that there was one addition to the Monkey Team. And that was no small matter for anyone.

Even Chiro had noticed that the Super Robot seemed to have become more like a home now that Hayley Cometra had come back. Everyone had been busy working with her to get her up to speed with the current events. Although they still had a long way to go, she took her lessons to heart faster than even the Monkeys had anticipated.

Chiro, Antauri, Sprx, and Gibson were in the Command Center, performing their normal duties, when Antauri looked around. Chiro was near the colored elevators, cleaning the glass on Otto's.

"I think you'd better move away from the transports, Chiro," Antauri gently said.

The warning surprised the boy as he looked at the other. "Why?"

Before Antauri could answer, though, a figure arrived at their level through the green elevator and ran out, chattering with laughter until accidentally crashing into Chiro! Both of them tumbled to the floor with surprised grunts until the new arrival was on top of him!

"That's why," the Black Monkey said with a small smile.

"Oh, Chiro!" Hayley exclaimed. "Sorry."

Chiro looked at her in complete confusion. "Hayley? What's going on?"

She quickly placed a finger on his lips. "Shh, I'm not here," she whispered before jumping off and running behind one of the command chairs with a giggle. The guys had only a split second to notice that she was carrying something in her hand.

"Uh oh, they're at it again," Sprx commented, quite happily.

"Who's at what again?" Chiro asked.

His answer came quickly when Otto emerged from his elevator, appearing to be out of breath. "Hey, you guys," he greeted, looking around. "Have you seen—?"

One look at Chiro getting up and dusting himself off, and Otto knew that he didn't have to finish the question.

"Oh, yeah, she's here…with my S-Foil hover wrench." He then began to walk around the room slowly, stalking the area for his target and speaking in a singsong tone. "Hayley. I know you're in here. Don't make me come after you."

Chiro did his best to avert his gaze. Fortunately, Otto hadn't noticed as he continued to slowly step across the room.

"Where are you?" he continued. "I'm gettin' warmer. I'm burnin' hot. I've got the fever. Maybe ya better take me to Sick Bay and gimme a check up."

Out of the corner of his eye, Gibson saw Hayley succeeding in stifling a laugh before she tiptoed up to Otto from behind.

She mimicked his every movement to avoid becoming heard as she crept up, ready to pounce on his back.

He suddenly stopped, and she waited for him to make his next move.

What a surprise it was when that move was a quick spin around, almost grabbing her! She jumped up and squealed with laughter, and immediately the chase resumed.

The other four watched (Chiro in surprise) as Otto and Hayley roared with laughter, she ahead of him by a few meters and he trying to catch up with her. In one fist, she clenched the tool that they had noticed, holding it to Otto teasingly with a wide grin.

"Gimme that!" he insisted once he had her against a wall.

"You don't need it," she panted heavily, trying to catch her breath.

"Yes, I do!"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do!"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I d—omph!"

Hayley had cut him off by jumping on his shoulders and leaping into the air! She grabbed onto one of the support beams with her tail and climbed up. Otto quickly followed her.

The pursuit continued at the ceiling, their laughter echoing in the Command Center. An exasperated Gibson sighed and returned to his work on the main computer. Sprx tried to ignore the younger Monkeys' riot but to no avail. He glanced at Antauri.

"I thought you would've broken this up by now," the hot shot commented.

"Hayley had been kept prisoner a very long time, Sprx," replied the second-in-command. "She deserves to enjoy every minute of her newfound freedom. Besides, I believe it will be over soon enough, anyway."

"Is it my imagination, or is Hayley usually this hyper?" asked Chiro.

"Admittedly, she does appear to have an increased response to the stimulated adrenaline," Gibson answered without looking at him. "However, she does tend to get a little out of hand occasionally. After all, she still has her savage instincts from living as an ordinary monkey."

"I need that hover wrench, Hayley!" Otto's voice screamed, only a little less playful now, as the pair suddenly came back down, him on top of her. They were both wrestling now; he had the arm that held the tool in one hand, but she had grabbed his other arm to keep the free hand away. She struggled to get away from him, but the Green Monkey was too strong.

Soon coming up with another idea, Hayley carefully weaved her tail between them until the tip of it was gently but quickly rubbing against Otto's armpit.

Immediately, he screeched with laughter and tried to move away while still holding onto her. "Hey! No tickling!"

That just made her giggle some more as she moved her legs in, pushing him off.

"Hayley, please gimme the wrench!"

At once, the fun was over. With a genuine smile, she handed him the tool. Otto quickly grabbed it with his tail and tucked it behind his back to ensure that she wouldn't snag it again. Chiro looked on in surprise and blinked.

"What was different that time?" Otto asked, not realizing that had spoken the question before Chiro could.

"If you have yet to figure that out, then we'll just have to play this game again sometime," she simply stated, flirting with him openly. She then giggled and tickled his chin with her tail. "Otto, I can't decide if you're adorably hopeless or hopelessly adorable."

Even though he enjoyed the flirt, Otto scratched his head in confusion. "Uh…what's the difference?"

She only giggled again in reply.

The other four watching smiled at the pair, but only Hayley noticed.

"What do you need that wrench for, anyway?" she asked Otto.

After noticing a quick glance from Antauri, Gibson stated, "You are apparently abundant in potential energy this day, Hayley."

"No, you think?" she giggled sarcastically.

"I believe the point Gibson is trying to make, Hayley, is that you are still openly displaying your extreme cunning and skill," Antauri told her. "They are not bad qualities. However, I think the time has come for you to show those traits in a more appropriate setting. Will you please pay our combat specialist a visit?"

Hayley gave him a slight bow of respect and started for the elevators. But as she entered the yellow one, the others could see a small grin on her face. "Combat specialist," she commented, mostly to herself. "I doubt I'll ever get used to hearing her that way."

"What did she mean by that?" Chiro asked when she was gone.

"Before we got rid of Mandarin, he used to be in charge of training all of us, including her," Sprx said in an unusually serious tone. "I just hope Nova doesn't hit her too hard. Hayley's not used to training with her."

"She'll be fine, Sprx," Antauri reassured. "Otto, how is your project progressing?"

Otto smiled proudly. "Almost done, Antauri! I just need to fit in the power megacoils, attach the auxiliary control beam, and install the hyper armor siding…and I still have to paint it, too."

"The paint can wait, Otto. Focus on finishing the technical stats. I sense that we may need it for Skeleton King's next attack."

"What are you building, anyway?" Chiro asked Otto.

"Just a little surprise for Hayley."

The leader was about to question him further on it, but a quick stern look from Antauri told the boy to leave it at that. Then, another question flashed in his mind. "And…what was that crack about the fever and Sick Bay about?"

Gibson looked up at Chiro. "Oh, did we not tell you?" the scientist asked. "After we had completed renovations of Hayley's structural form to that of a Robot Monkey, we had appointed her as the head operator at Sick Bay. Considering that she had a keen way of sensing physical ailments and was quickly well versed in medical practices during her first training, it was a most appropriate responsibility for her."

"Not to mention that she has a better bedside manner than Dr. Brainstrain here," Sprx laughed.

"And what, pray tell, is the matter with **my** medical practices?" Gibson asked indignantly.

"Well, for one thing, Hayley doesn't ramble on about what we come down with."

"I'll have you know that I do not 'ramble on' in any way, shape, or form."

That defense earned a skeptical yet knowing glare from Sprx.

But Chiro had missed most of what was said between them, for he had the image in his mind of Hayley wearing a surgical mask and wielding a pair of long, sharp scissors. His mouth twisted in uncertainty and slight disgust. "I bet she's kinda scary in Sick Bay," he thought aloud.

Knowing what he meant by that, Gibson completely forgot about his argument with Sprx and gave his leader an embarrassed look. "It's not that kind of operator, Chiro."

* * *

Overall, an ordinary day, right? But what is this "project" that Otto is working on? Why are Chiro and Hayley kept in the dark about it? But before these questions are answered, find out how the girls interact in Chapter Two: Of Girls and Guardians. 


	2. Of Girls and Guardians

Disclaimer: I don't own SRMTHFG or any of its characters, just my character and this plot. I do own rights to the planet Celestia Three and the seven Guardian Angels; they're not key factors to this story, but I thought I'd mention this.

Please enjoy while reading and review!

* * *

**Chapter Two: Of Girls and Guardians**

"You're more clever than I thought, Nova," Hayley congratulated, half grunting, as she began to pick herself up.

"Thanks, but don't expect me to get any easier on you," the other girl warned.

The younger girl Monkey simply got back to her feet and carefully sized up her sparring partner.

She had found Nova in the holographic section of the training rooms, apparently waiting for her. That was a little flattering to her. The virtual reality setting surrounding them was that of a meadow on a sunny day. The grass was short, only slightly higher than their ankles, and there was neither a tree nor a bush to be seen. That meant that there were no places to hide for surprise attacks; one thing the girls had in common was that they both preferred the direct approach in battle.

Nova rushed forward again, but Hayley was better prepared this time and threw a fist for her. The Yellow Monkey sliced her arm in front of Hayley's, effectively blocking the punch and forcing the younger to turn around. But as she did, she noticed that Hayley's punch was simply a distraction; the true attack occurred when Hayley's tail caught Nova's ankle and tripped her, allowing a swift kick to land against Nova's upper chest while she was still in the air!

Quickly compensating, Nova activated her jetpack to make her descent smoother and landed about a meter ahead of Hayley. She then launched forward, her hands now her punching gloves.

"**Knuckle Duster**!"

Hayley jumped back, but she didn't have the time to move away from the attack. But she stood in confusion as the hand suddenly halted just centimeters in front of her nose.

Slightly exasperated, Hayley looked past the hand and into the eyes. "Nova, do you seriously expect that a Monkey Move like that would—?"

Before she could finish, though, one of Nova's fingers popped out of the punching position. That was a surprise in itself, but when the finger actually hit her nose, the attack was just as powerful as one of Nova's typical punches!

Hayley was sent flying into an invisible wall! This was, of course, the wall of the training room disguised by the simulation projector.

Now laying on her back, Hayley looked again at Nova, who was walking up to her seemingly upside-down.

"Sprx thought the same thing the other day," Nova explained.

"Is that a new one?" Hayley asked.

Nova's only answer was a grin.

And a grin was Hayley's reply, as well. "I guess Mandarin was right about one thing."

Instantly, Nova's smile vanished as she suddenly came on top of her! The training session became a wrestling match. Both exchanged blows and kicks, most of which were easily evaded, but their pace was much quicker than before.

"What about Mandarin?" asked an angry Nova while still attacking.

"Never mind," Hayley answered, ducking in time to avoid getting punched.

"What did he say?"

"Really, Nova, it's nothing!"

"Tell me!"

"All right, but you won't like it!"

Their arms interlocked, and Hayley dug her feet into the simulated dirt to anchor their positions. Nova struggled for only a moment before she found that Hayley wasn't about to budge. The two pairs of pink eyes bore deep into each other.

After what seemed like a long while, Hayley said, "When he spoke of you guys in the Citadel of Bone, he included you when he used the term 'brothers'."

Nova was stunned, disgusted, and unconvinced all at the same time. "He did what?"

"Every time he did, I tried to correct him into referring to you as a female. But he told me that when he encountered you, you weren't the Nova you used to be. He said that you had grown by far stronger and more aggressive than the others did. He said that it was like looking at a male who just happened to have a light voice. I didn't want to believe it. That wasn't the Nova I knew."

Nova's scowl became deeper, but Hayley had the sense that the Yellow Monkey's anger was focused more on her than on the fact that it was Mandarin who made the insult.

"But it looks like I was wrong," the younger Monkey continued. "You ARE stronger and more aggressive than I remember. And now I can see why. After I got monkey-napped, you forgot how to be a female. Right? You were like a male before I entered the picture, and you became like one again." She then grinned teasingly. "You know, Nova, I bet you got rid of every single one of your stuffed animals. They reminded you of what it was like to be a female, and you didn't like being the only female on the team!"

"Well, excuse me for not requesting a gender change!" Nova exclaimed, fed up with the argument. She grabbed Hayley's shoulders and lifted her up, tossing her overhead!

Surprised, Hayley landed harshly on the computer-generated grass.

"And excuse me for existing as the only girl on the Hyperforce!" Nova added furiously. "And yes, I didn't like being the only girl! I didn't like the guys rushing to my side as if I was some defenseless princess waiting for her knight in shining armor! Have you ever thought about what it's like to be surrounded by guys all the time?"

Nova was prepared to give another of her "it's tough to be a girl" speeches when Hayley suddenly cried out, "Hey, you had it easy! At least you were surrounded by friends!"

That made Nova hesitate. Hayley didn't just scream that; she was actually weeping. Nova could see Hayley's tears falling onto the floor, making the simulation sizzle slightly to the water/electricity reaction. Her sobs were barely audible, but they were very real.

Chiro had told the Robot Monkeys about the torturous experiments Skeleton King had put Hayley through in the Citadel of Bone, but this was the first time that Nova actually realized it. Hayley had been in more danger than Nova knew, danger of being lost to the powers of darkness…just like Mandarin.

And perhaps she was still in some of that danger. The Hayley that Nova knew wouldn't have pushed such an argument so hard for so long. Quite the contrary, really.

Changing her punching gloves back into her monkey hands, Nova slowly approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Hayley cringed for a moment but soon relaxed.

"Come on, Hayley," she encouraged, her voice soft and tender. "Let me show you something."

---------

Hayley looked around in concern and confusion. She had been in Nova's quarters on several occasions in the past. She was, at first, surprised that Nova had indeed kept most of the stuffed animals that the two girls used to play with together during their spare time. But Nova led her to a secret nook that was behind her sleeping pod. She removed a box that was hidden there.

The box was simple enough. The only interesting thing on it was the lock that kept it shut, which Nova quietly undid. Then, after making Hayley promise not to tell the others, Nova opened it. Inside were two small plush toys.

One was a bird that was so golden yellow that it made the sun seem pale in comparison. The claws and beak were a deep red, and the wings looked like lava. Its eyes were tiny topazes (yellow jewels) that looked like they could burst into flames.

The other seemed much like a horse, but wings that resembled clouds were graced on its back. The animal itself was mostly a light blue color except for the hooves, which were black as the night sky. This creature's eyes were aquamarines (blue-green jewels) that seemed to twinkle like stars.

It took Hayley a while to find her voice again. "What are they?"

"They were gifts," Nova began to explain. "I've had them since before I could remember. I did some research on them, and I found that they're two of the seven Guardian Angels of Celestia Three. Folklore there says that these seven stuffed animals hold some kind of essence, like the tiniest fragment of a spirit. Small enough not to be noticed but still there."

"Guardian Angels?" Hayley echoed, softly despite her surprise. "Gifts? Who gave them to you?"

Nova's face became long with sadness. "That's the thing. I don't know. Maybe they were given to me before I was activated for the first time. That would explain why I don't remember. Or maybe they were given after I was activated and something happened that wiped my circuits clean of the memory. All I do know is, my basic programming tells me that these were gifts."

The younger Monkey looked again at the two plush toys. Could they truly be what Nova found out through her research? Of course, she never knew Nova to lie to her, but this was the stuff of legends…or was it?

"So, what exactly are they?" she asked.

Nova smiled. "I thought you'd be interested. They are the Phoenix and the Pegasus. The legend says that the Phoenix is the fiery Soul of Inspiration, and the Pegasus is the shining Soul of Hope."

"And you said these were two of seven. What are the other five?"

"The Unicorn is loyal Soul of Friendship. The Sea Serpent is the creative Soul of Knowledge. The Thunderbird is the sincere Soul of Passion. The Griffin is the patient Soul of Wisdom. And all six of these are led under the Dragon, the mighty Soul of Strength."

"Hmm, if you have these two, I wonder what happened to the other five."

"I don't know," Nova shrugged. "Maybe they're still on Celestia Three. Or maybe they were given to other great warriors or royalty children. I had thought about asking Antauri or Gibson about them off and on, but I was usually either too busy with my duties or not curious enough to end my boredom with such questions."

Nova then looked at Hayley. "Just remember, you promised not to tell the others about this, so don't go asking about them behind my back."

"A promise is a promise, Nova."

"Here, Hayley. Take this."

How surprised Hayley was to see Nova remove the Pegasus from the box and handing it to her. Hayley felt that the body of the plush was smoother than silk and the wings were softer than cotton.

"Nova…"

"Call it a welcome home gift."

"But, Nova…it was given to YOU."

"That means it's mine to do whatever I want with it," Nova reassured with a smile. "Besides, although I don't know why, I have a weird feeling that it was meant for you."

Hayley wanted to object, to insist that it belonged to Nova, but she took another look into those star-like jewels that made the Pegasus' eyes. "Shining Soul of Hope…" she whispered. "Thanks, Nova."

"Anytime, sister."

Inside, Hayley's soul trembled. She still wasn't comfortable with being called a sister. But she didn't give any outward sign or protest. Instead, the two girls shared a long hug.

* * *

Well, looks like the two girls have reached a deeper understanding of each other. More to come in Chapter Three: Constantly a Battlefield.

_In response to Chapter One's reviews_…

**Crystal Persian**: Yes, I've thought about the idea you gave me. I'm not sure if I'll be using it in this fanfic, but it's a good enough idea for me to consider writing one in the future. But I will promise you that there will be some Antauri/Hayley moments in the next chapter. I doubt you can call it overprotection, but it's meant to be touching. By the way, your story is looking good. I knew Chiro looked up to Antauri like a father, but referring to Nova as a mother, I never saw that coming! Very nice touch.

**love-writer**: Those are good guesses. Unfortunately, I will have to keep you guys guessing for at least a few more days. And I'm still loving your current story so far. I look forward to more.

**almi-chan**: Intentaré escribir mis capítulos de modo que las traducciones de Inglés/Español sean más fáciles para usted. A veces los americanos que somos no saben nuestra lengua inglesa para ser difíciles hasta que encontramos a persona que primera lengua no es inglesa. Debo saber probablemente que mejor que la mayoría de la gente; Viví en una estación militar en Japón la mayoría de mi niñez. De todas formas, soy feliz que usted está gozando de esta historia.

(In English this means, "I will try to write my chapters so that English/Spanish translations will be easier for you. Sometimes we Americans do not realize how difficult our English language really is until we find people whose first language is not English. I should probably know better than most people; I grew up on a military base in Japan. Anyway, I am happy that you are enjoying this." This was translated by http/babelfish. 


	3. Constantly a Battlefield

Disclaimer: I don't own SRMTHFG or any of its characters, just my character and this plot.

Note: I now have a member of my audience whose first language is Spanish. I'll be spending a lot of time making sure that English/Spanish translations in my chapters become easier. This means I most likely will not update as often as I did before. For that, I apologize.

Please enjoy while reading and review!

* * *

**Chapter Two: Constantly a Battlefield**

After placing the Pegasus Guardian Angel next to her sleeping pod, Hayley left her quarters to answer the call she had received just moments ago. But on her way there, she took a little detour to reacquaint herself with the layout of the Super Robot. True, it was simple enough to navigate through and it hadn't changed the slightest, but remembering never hurts.

She passed by Gibson's lab and Sprx's quarters on their way. She found both of them doing what they usually do.

Gibson was concocting a chemical experiment…again.

Sprx was polishing the magnets he called his "beauties"…again.

At the sight of both, she rolled her eyes with a light giggle before moving on.

But when she glanced out a window and caught sight of Otto outside with his back to her, she hesitated.

It wasn't a surprise to find him hard at work constructing something, even though it was usually in his workshop or his quarters, but that wasn't what made her stop. What did make her stop was her own curiosity. If this was another invention he was working on, it was the biggest she had ever seen; it was about half the size of the Brain Scrambler Pilot Two!

It had a slightly awkward shape, but Hayley couldn't determine exactly what that shape was from her angle. It had three legs coming from the bottom: one was on front and center; the other two were closer to the rear, one on each side. Something that looked like a rocket engine was in the middle of the legs' triangle. There were also two smaller rocket engines on the rear.

Hayley stood in confusion as Otto used his blowtorch to weld some heavy metal plating to the side of the object. Next to him was a can of paint, filled to the brim with a color that was similar to but lighter than Hayley's turquoise fur.

She was about to open the window and ask him what he was doing. But she suddenly remembered where she was going in the first place and ran down the hall.

---------

Antauri waited patiently in his most-private meditation room. This was a room he didn't use often even though it was his favorite. None of the others were allowed to enter this room unless he had specifically requested him or her. And for very good reason.

This particular room had an almost magical aura, one that was definitely not to be used lightly, not even by Antauri.

As the soft chime of an unseen bell rang, he placed his recording device into the drawer of an ancient dresser and closed it in. He then walked to the center of the room, sat down, and hovered off the floor.

"You may enter," he stated.

The door slowly opened, and a slightly timid Hayley peeked through. But she quickly hid her shyness and reverently entered the room. She then gave him a slight bow of respect. "You wanted to see me, Antauri?"

"Yes, indeed, I did. Please come sit by me."

Hayley walked inside, stopping only long enough to close the door behind her, and approached Antauri. Her curiosity wanted to distract her by examining the room she had entered, but she wanted to show her discipline by keeping her eyes on the spiritual Monkey. When she was within arm's reach, she crossed her legs and sat next to him, still looking directly at him.

"How did it go with Nova?" he asked.

Hayley giggled. "No complaints. She really whipped my tail, but I'm not disappointed. I can see now why she's been promoted to combat specialist. It looks like I've got some serious catching up to do if I expect to play the show-off game with her again."

Antauri gave a slight chuckle, but his small smile quickly vanished and was replaced with a serious frown. "She mentioned the little spat you had with her."

She whimpered, lowering her head and breaking eye contact with him.

"There is no need to apologize, Hayley. It is understandable. You were surrounded by the powers of darkness for a very long time. And although you refused to allow its influence to corrupt your heart, it still left an effect on you."

"I knew I wasn't the same as I was before," she sighed sadly. "I had hoped I could leave it all behind…"

Antauri stared at her for a moment. Then, in a fatherly fashion, he placed his hand under her chin and gently forced her to look into his eyes.

"This is but a reminder that the heart is constantly a battlefield between the powers of light and darkness," he told her. "In the end, only one can triumph. This is what every heart goes through, Hayley."

As she looked deep into his eyes, a tear trickled down her cheek. Noticing, Antauri rubbed the tear off with his thumb, and she smiled tenderly.

"You want to know what I missed most besides Otto?" she asked. "Knowing that no matter what bothered me, you were always there to listen. No matter what kind of problem I had, you knew how to help me get me through it. You know a lot of things."

"Knowledge is indeed important, but only when applied with wisdom," he replied. "Which is why I have called you here. Tell me, what do you think of this power that you call 'the light of your heart'?"

Hayley sighed again, but this time in thoughtfulness. "Honestly, I don't know. The first time I felt it was when Mandarin almost convinced me to join him in darkness. I felt the power growing within me and—"

"Think back," Antauri softly but suddenly interrupted. "Are you certain that was the first time?"

"Before…" she said hesitantly. Then, her eyes glimmered in realization. "Yes, yes, I felt it again just moments before that. That would explain that vision when I saw you and the others encouraging me. When I told Chiro about it and he mentioned his dream to me, I thought it was just a coincidence. I thought…" She suddenly paused.

Even to her, what she said sounded very strange.

She was about to apologize to Antauri for not making any sense, but one look at him and she knew that he was quite focused and serious, absorbing her every word.

Then she realized it. "You had one, too?"

"We all did," he told her. "Remember, the seven of us are joined in our minds by the Power Primate. No matter how great the distance, we are still connected."

"Then why didn't Mandarin see it? Doesn't he have the Power Primate, too?"

"Yes, he does, but his connection has been corrupted by the evil within him. All he can understand now is darkness; his heart cannot be expected to even feel any light that remains."

"But that doesn't deny that there's still at least a little bit of light in his heart, no?"

Antauri removed his hand from her chin. His hesitation made Hayley wonder if her question actually had no answer he could provide. The thought tickled her, and she wanted to laugh, but looking at his stern face kept her from even smiling.

"We are straying from the subject," he finally said. "My question was, what do you think of the light of your heart?"

"I don't know," she answered softly. "Believe me, Antauri, it's a scary feeling to know that you have something inside of you, something powerful and wonderful and yet spontaneous and even dangerous. What makes my heart shine like that? And why only me? I feel like I'm being excluded."

Antauri closed his eyes, beginning to meditate. "We will find your answers, Hayley. The best place to begin again is where we ended before. Close your eyes. Free your mind. Let go of all thinking and all feeling. Search for your emotional center."

Finally free from his stare, Hayley couldn't help but smile as she mouthed the exact words that he finished, "Focus on the power within."

How many times she had heard that!

As she began to follow his example, she reflected on the past. Of all Robot Monkeys, she was the one who took Antauri's meditation training the most seriously. Quite an unexpected outcome considering that she was born differently than the others.

Just as both were about to begin their meditation session, the chime sounded again. Hayley flinched at the sound, and both sighed in disappointment as they came back to their senses.

Looking at the door, Antauri stated, "You may enter."

The door opened again, and in stepped Chiro in his normal clothes. "Sorry I'm late," he chuckled nervously. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

Hayley and Antauri glanced at each other, then, looking at Chiro, they both shook their heads.

"I was just beginning to reacquaint Hayley with her meditation training," Antauri explained. "Please, come join us, Chiro."

Chiro hesitated. He really didn't want to interrupt them. But when Hayley gave him a warm smile, his heart couldn't resist. He walked up to them and sat by them. After glancing at Antauri before looking at Hayley again, Chiro laughed. "Meditation?" he asked. "What happened to the little hyperactive Monkey who teased Otto until he said 'please'?"

Hayley almost blushed, slightly surprised. "Please don't tell him you discovered the secret."

The boy only smiled, reassuring her.

Just then, the alarm blared in the room. Chiro was quick to the door.

"It seems we will have to resume this later," Antauri stated, floating towards the door.

Agreeing with only a nod, Hayley went after them.

---------

Chiro, Antauri, and Hayley arrived in the Command Center at the same time as Otto. The remaining Hyperforce was already watching Shuggazoom City as tens of Formless swarmed the streets.

"Same old?" Hayley asked.

Sprx glanced at her and answered, "Basically."

Within moments, everyone was outside, weapons ready. Several of the Formless were attacking the civilians, and the Monkey Team fought valiantly to reach the innocent people. But the majority of the enemies were assembled in the streets, about to attack the Hyperforce head-on.

Imagine the shock when Hayley stepped forward, moving away from the injured citizens and retracting her whips into her monkey hands, and snarled at the Formless!

"Hayley, stop!" Sprx called out, with barely the time to electrocute a Formless into nothing. "What are you doing?"

Looking back at them, she replied, "Doing my job."

Gibson fired several lasers from his drills, eliminating several enemies, before facing her. "Have you become insane? After our current endeavors, I have calculated a minimum of fifty Formless attacking! The odds of you surviving a single-handed frontal assault are—!"

"Not worth mentioning!" she interrupted very harshly. "I can do this! I'm ready for this! And this is personal!"

"Hayley, I strongly disapprove of your motives," Antauri told her, still calm but quite firm. He was the only one not attacking at the moment, for on each side of him was a Formless being held back by his telekinetic powers. "While it is true that you have become stronger recently, so have Skeleton King's forces. You may not be able to withstand them on your own."

She sighed, quite exasperated at this point. "Antauri, as much as I respect you, you cannot possibly understand. You don't know what it feels like to have someone playing with your mind like a toy. And so long as I still breathe, Skeleton King will regret what he did to me."

With those words, she jumped over the first line of Formless, trapping herself on purpose inside the circle of enemies!

"Hayley!" Nova exclaimed worriedly.

"No!" Otto yelled, nearly weeping.

Chiro's face features tightened with determination. "Antauri, you and the others keep the Formless away from the people. I'm going after Hayley!"

The Black Monkey was about to warn Chiro of the extreme danger that stood in the center, but Chiro was already fighting his way through the jungle of enemies in an attempt to reach her!

* * *

Will Hayley prove herself to the others? Can she survive the fight? Can Chiro? Find out Chapter Four: Shining Soul.

_In response to Chapter Two's reviews_…

**4Evermonkeyfan**: Well, I was wondering what had happened to you. I had noticed that you didn't post reviews for a lot of people until a day or so before my last chapter came. I'm not saying that reviews are crucial to my writing, but they do let me know that people like you are alive and well. Thanks for the review.

**Crystal Persian**: They'd pick my OC, no competition whatsoever? That's very flattering! I hope this chapter satisfies much of your request.

**Anderson jr**: Yes, the Nova/Hayley moments are very touching. I don't think I could have been able to get away with these tender moments if the training was with someone other than Nova. And I also wanted to show that recovering from intense trauma doesn't happen overnight. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy the rest of my stories.

**love-writer**: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying this.


	4. Shining Soul

Disclaimer: I don't own SRMTHFG or any of its characters, just my character and this plot.

Please enjoy while reading and review!

* * *

**Chapter Four: Shining Soul**

Chiro spent barely more than a few seconds with any Formless in his way – punching one, kicking another, smashing two together – all in a desperate attempt to reach the newest member of his team, who was facing a very deadly enemy in the center. There were definitely more than the fifty Gibson had counted to deal with here. Fortunately, most of them were deeper in, too busy keeping Hayley contained to be concerned about the human boy.

Chiro was exhausted and almost completely covered in slime by the time he reached the edge of the center. He was startled by what he found: at least twenty Formless have merged themselves together to the point where they didn't have their arms anymore! This has created a blockade that won't be as easy to break through.

---------

Inside the Formless barrier, Hayley seemed to be calm and collected. But in truth, she was anxious, nervous, and quite frightened. She may be naïve, but no one can take her for a fool. She knew better than anyone of what Skeleton King was capable of doing. She also knew that this pinnacle of evil would not surrender his victims without a fight.

And even deeper in her soul is a scar that cannot easily be healed.

She reopened her eyes, giving a deadly glare into the TV Machine. Displayed on the monitor was Skeleton King himself.

"I give you a final chance to join my services willingly," he told her. "If you accept, the rewards will be plentiful. If you refuse, the consequences will be equally plentiful."

Hayley's scowl deepened. "Even if I am to die today, my promise to never betray the Hyperforce will remain. And that promise does not include submitting into your slavery."

The repulsive glow in his eyes bore deep into her soul, brushing against her inner scar. She felt the dark powers beginning to surround her again, but she kept a firm position. But Skeleton King was just as unrelenting. She noticed when the dark powers intensified, making her snarl in disgust.

"Are you angry?" he asked her. "Do you…hate me?"

_That must be the most stupid thing I've ever been asked_, she thought to herself.

Then, to her surprise and horror, he laughed. It was the kind of laugh that would tell you that you made a serious mistake. The power in her heart seemed to flinch in response.

The last word she heard him say was, "Excellent."

In her frightened state, it became easier for Skeleton King's energies to find her heart. What seemed like a dark mist clouded her vision, and she began to feel faint. She tried to fight it, but that only made her pain worse. In merely moments, she fell into a concussion.

She never saw Chiro bursting through the Formless barrier with a fierce Lightning Kick, or Antauri coming close behind him, or the others turning to look at the scene. In fact, she couldn't see anything.

"What happened?" she wondered. She didn't actually speak, but the words reverberated clearly in her mind. "Am I falling? Well…if I am, I'll simply hit the street, pick myself up, and get back into the battle. No problem."

But she never felt any landing. In fact, she couldn't feel at all.

Now, she was becoming worried. "What's happening to me? Otto? Chiro? Nova! ANTAURI! Somebody help me, please!"

An evil laugh echoed in the void, startling her.

"Skeleton King?" she asked, her panic melting into hatred. "What did you do to me?"

For a moment, she thought she felt herself falling again. The laugh slowly diminished, and her nemesis replied, "_Foolish, filthy monkey. I did nothing. YOU did._"

---------

The crash of her landing on the street was like an echo of doom, and it sent everyone into a rage that defeated the remaining enemies! The TV machine floated to a safe distance, allowing Skeleton King to watch the heroes as they surrounded their comatose friend. He could easily destroy them all in their distracted state with one swift stroke from his waiting monster, but he wanted to enjoy seeing them suffering for the moment.

"There doesn't appear to be any physical damage," Gibson remarked. "However, I cannot complete a diagnosis here."

Frustrated yet frightened, Nova yelled, "Then let's get her into the Robot already!"

"No, no one touch her!" Antauri suddenly objected, his placid face hiding extreme concern. "There is a dark aura surrounding her body."

"What?" Otto gasped, now very worried for the youngest Robot Monkey.

"Must be the old bag of bones," Sprx growled.

Antauri hesitated. Should he tell them the truth? Would they understand? Could they bear it?

"No, Sprx," he said gently. "The aura is coming from the darkness within herself."

---------

"You lie!" Hayley exclaimed. Now she was outraged and full of hate. She didn't know where to focus those emotions since she couldn't see Skeleton King, so she simply expressed them. "I demand to know what you did to me, Skeleton King!"

"_As I have told you, I did nothing,_" his creepy voice replied. "_You are the one who entered the void willingly. Your reaction to your anger has brought you here. Even now, you are doing it._"

The light of her heart flinched again, and if she had stopped sinking into this endless abyss of nothingness before, she was falling into it again.

"I don't believe you!"

"_Believe what you wish. It will all soon become irrelevant. Will you fight by my side to defeat your own anger and hatred? Or will the darkness swallow this feeble power you dare to call a 'light'? Either way, you will learn to serve ME._"

Hayley gasped, now completely aghast. "I am such an idiot," she chastised herself.

"_For once, we agree on something._"

She hated herself for falling into such a simple trap. Cunning, but simple. The void became deeper.

"Antauri, please help me!"

"_Wasted energy. He cannot hear you._"

"Antauri!"

"_This will be much easier on you if you stop resisting._"

"I will not submit!"

"_You have no choice. Soon, the Hayley you once were will be nothing but a memory._"

When she heard those words, the dark presence of Skeleton King vanished. Hayley started to become desperate. She was still trapped in the sea of emptiness.

"Antauri…?"

No answer.

Being alone in the Citadel of Bone was nothing compared to this.

---------

"She's what?" Chiro asked nervously.

"Trapped in her own hatred," Antauri repeated. "The experiments that Skeleton King had inflicted on her were excruciating but not deadly. They were merely the seeds of anger and despair that he is now cultivating. The longer she stays in this state, the worse her condition will become."

"Then, let's get in gear!" Otto shouted, ready to save her again. "What can we do to help her?"

Antauri did everything physically and emotionally possible to keep his tears from showing as he answered, "I'm afraid we can do nothing."

"Say that again, Antauri?" Sprx asked, unable to believe that.

"Her heart is ensnared in a battle between the powers of light and darkness. This is a fight she must conquer on her own. If we interfere, her heart will retaliate and fight against us. Her only hope is to summon her new power, the light of her heart."

A roar echoed in the streets, making everyone look to the skies. A giant stingray glided over Shuggazoom City like a kite, preparing to attack!

"We all need to be in the Super Robot to defeat this ghastly creature," Gibson informed them.

"We can't just leave her like this!" Nova exclaimed.

Antauri placed a hand on her shoulder, expressing to everyone how much he wanted to agree with her. "On the contrary, Nova," he said gently. "That is precisely what we must do."

"Looks like we don't have any choice," Chiro added. "Monkeys, Mobilize!"

Otto desperately wanted to take Hayley in his arms and carry her into the safety of their base. But even after remembering Antauri's warning, he found it hard to leave her behind like this. She had only just come back to them.

The others were halfway to the robot when they noticed that they were missing one monkey. They looked back and found him hesitating at her side.

"Hayley…" Otto whispered, barely loud enough for them to hear. "Please win this fight for me." He then turned to catch up with them.

---------

Hayley had never imagined what it was like to be in a world of complete emptiness. She wondered if it was as cold as it was dark, but that remained a mystery. Her five senses were useless here; there was nothing to see, to touch, to hear, or to smell. The only thing she could taste was the adrenaline in her mouth. The only things she could feel were her mixed emotions of grief, rage, and contempt.

She had given up trying to call for help long ago. She was alone in her struggle between light and darkness, and the darkness was winning the fight.

She was unsure if she was floating or falling in this void. Either way, she remained trapped inside, and as loneliness gripped her heart, she slowly stopped chastising herself. She thought about her friends.

She was only beginning to renew her playful relationship with both Sprx and Gibson. Being the youngest Robot Monkey, she was given a little more leeway when it comes to playful fights with them.

She had thoroughly enjoyed her training session with Nova, despite the argument they had. Playing the show-off game with any other Robot Monkey would have been nearly impossible for Hayley.

She and Chiro had bonded well. The rest of the Monkey Team found it surprising that she had accepted Chiro not only as a responsible leader but also as a caring friend.

She still didn't know what her feelings with Otto really were. True, she flirts with him, and the two care deeply about each other. And yes, he did work much harder than the others to save her the first time her life was in serious danger. But was that a responsibility or something…more?

And Antauri…

"Oh, Antauri," she whispered, degrading herself again. "I didn't mean to yell at you that way. You were only protecting me, just as any decent brother would. You tried to warn me, but I didn't listen. Can you forgive me?"

For what seemed like a long while, there was silence. She had no doubt that her voice was unheard.

Then, much to her surprise, an unfamiliar but gentle voice said, "_He can forgive you, but only if you can forgive yourself._"

"Who said that?" she gasped, suddenly alarmed. She couldn't feel any presence – light or dark, friend or foe – but she knew that it wasn't Skeleton King. "Come to where I can see you."

"_Free your mind,_" the voice told her, still soft but sounding more urgent. "_Let go of all thinking and all feeling. When you are ready, take my hand._"

Hayley remained still in shock. This was part of the same meditation session she had started with Antauri not even an hour ago. This voice obviously wasn't Antauri, but the wisdom within very much reminded her of the Black Monkey. Because of this, she couldn't help but submit to its unfamiliar reassurance.

She didn't know how, but the effort she gave made her focus much clearer. She was still lost in the void, but she could finally see! And the sight before her was a surprise: located before her was a creature that looked very much like the Pegasus Guardian Angel that Nova gave her, and riding on its back was a tall man! One eye was a crimson red, and the other was a chilly blue. He was dressed in a dark blue robe with what seemed to be a red sash around his waist. She couldn't see his feet, but she saw that he had one hand extended towards her.

This was obviously the one who had spoken to her. But who was he? She could barely feel a presence at all, and she couldn't determine if that presence was light or darkness.

"Do you know who you are?" the man asked her, his voice not echoing in her mind but actually talking directly to her.

"Of course I do," she answered, not realizing that she had regained the ability to actually speak. "I am Hayley Cometra. And who are you?" She ended her question with a growl, showing him that she doesn't easily trust humans…for good reason.

"That answer determines only WHAT you are," he softly told her.

"What?" she asked, now confused.

"The question of what you are can be answered by others, but the question of who you are can only be answered by you," he said.

The stare she gave him told him that didn't understand at all.

He sighed. "I know a great deal about what you are. You have a remarkable show of strength; potential for wisdom and knowledge; and an abundance of passion, friendship, and inspiration. These things obviously say what you are, because someone other than you gave them to you. But if you say that you are the youngest Robot Monkey, you are still saying what you are, because someone other than you made you that way. If you say that you are a member of the Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce, you are still saying what you are, because someone other than you made you that way. You cannot even give your name without saying what you, because someone other than you gave you that name."

"Then…how am I supposed to know who I am?" she asked, now interested.

"With faith in yourself, you can find that answer," he told her. "Use your power."

Again, she began to focus and closed her eyes. The darkness surrounding them began to gradually dissipate. She didn't see this, but the man did notice it.

A smile slowly crept across her face as she answered, "I am…a tiny fragment of light, one of many that repels the dark powers. I am…a little heart with enormous hope. I am…" If she hadn't had her eyes closed, she would have seen a small light emerging from within her, similar to the one that had cut her plasma bonds in the Citadel of Bone! It was beginning to heal the scar inside of her.

By the time she did open her eyes, that light had disappeared. But she knew that she felt different. And she concluded, "I am a shining soul."

And when she said that, she discovered that she wasn't the only one who held the light of heart within her. She had sensed a similar light within each of her team members, each one as unique as them. Her own light was probably more obvious than those of the others because it was feeding on her hope, something that she held in more abundance than anything else she possessed.

She had many questions about her light that she believed the man could answer, but as her senses were coming back to her, she felt a strong presence of darkness. She knew instinctively that her friends were in danger. Realizing that she had no time to waste, she began to reach for the man's hand.

Moments before the hands touched, she heard the man say, "Do not speak of our encounter to anyone, for everything will be revealed in its proper time."

---------

The first thing she noticed was the blinding sunlight. She squinted her eyes and readjusted her sight to compensate.

The next thing she noticed was the fact that she was on the street. She realized that she had indeed fallen, and she probably had some minor damage that may require Otto to repair.

The third and most surprising thing she noticed was that there were several Formless, apparently new arrivals, which were beginning to create another barrier around her!

"I don't think so," she whispered, quickly getting up. Her monkey hands became her whips as she jumped into the air and began twirling. "**Stinging Spin**!" she yelled, making herself like a bright blue tornado, allowing her whips to strike all of the Formless dozens of times, even hundreds of times!

Caught by surprise and unprepared for a fight from her, the Formless were easily eliminated!

"Impossible!" Skeleton King exclaimed, watching this through the TV Machine as it lowered to her level. "You could not possibly have survived!"

She grinned as she wrapped the ends of her whips around the device's legs. "I don't hate you, Skeleton King," she said confidently. "I only hate what you did to me." Then, like she did with Mandarin in her very first battle, she launched herself into another spin and threw the TV Machine skyward, sending it back to its master.

She then looked around. Where the Super Robot used to be, it was no longer there. And since she couldn't hear any noise of battle, she realized that her friends had taken the fight into outer space.

At first, she wondered how she was going to help them. Her power supply may be full, but it wouldn't be anywhere near enough to allow her to reach the battle in time. But then, she smiled, discovering her answer.

* * *

What could Hayley's plan be? Will she make it to her friends in time? Find out in Chapter Five: Here I Am. 

_In response to Chapter Three's reviews_…

**4Evermonkeyfan**: Yes, I know younger siblings can be annoying. I'm sure I was. Thanks for reviewing.

**love-writer**: Thanks for the suggestion. I've always seen Antauri as the fatherly one on the team.

**Crystal Persian**: Well, I already had one scene in my last fanfic where Hayley seemed to be dead; I think doing that twice in a row might be pushing it a little. But I hope this chapter satisfies the same kind of drama.


	5. Here I Am

Disclaimer: I don't own SRMTHFG or any of its characters, just my character and this plot.

Announcement: Thanks to everyone who has been reading so far. As I place this chapter in, I find that both of my stories have accumulated over 1,000 hits so far! Please enjoy while reading and review!

* * *

**Chapter Five: Here I Am**

The depths of outer space were always more than exciting. But for this particular event, it was exciting in a deadly way.

While Hayley was unconscious, the stingray monster that Skeleton King had sent attacked the city. Its method of attacking was devastating. Unlike normal stingrays, this one had two long antennas protruding from its head, each with a charge of electricity on the tip. By itself, the electrical charge would be harmless. But when the two antennas would come together, it would ignite a devastating electric explosion! And the monster could determine which way the explosion would go by changing the angle of the antennas.

This was the reason why Otto had officially named the creature "the Death Ray".

The monster wasn't a very big opponent compared to the Robot. In fact, its flat body (including the tail, which was useful only for maintaining its balance) wasn't much longer than one of the Robot's arms. Its wing-like fins allowed its width to match the Robot's chest.

It would certainly have been a frail creature if it weren't so agile.

For a while, the counterattack seemed to have worked. The Death Ray stopped attacking the buildings and people as it directed its attention to the Robot. The Robot fired several mega-missiles to destroy it, but the skin on its body was particularly thick; all the missiles managed to do was provoke it into sending an electric explosion their way!

The Robot managed to avoid the direct attack, but the edges of the explosion made the Foot Crusher Cruisers quake in instability!

"Nova, Otto, you okay in there?" Chiro asked, alarmed.

"I'm good, but thanks for asking," Otto said wearily, not sounding as good as he said he was.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Nova groaned.

But she had no time to express it; the Death Ray was coming about, aiming another electric explosion.

This time, the attack was aimed at the head, but they maneuvered so that it barely missed the right shoulder! This creature meant business!

"I calculate increased odds to our favor if we lure the beast away from the city," Gibson suggested.

"Like give it some slack, then reel it in," Sprx said jokingly.

"Knock it off, Sprx; it's a stingray, not a mackerel," growled a disgusted Nova.

But Antauri ignored the argument. "Perhaps Gibson is right," he told them all. "We will also minimize the risk of injuring any innocents below."

"Okay, then," Chiro stated. "Let's give it some bait. **Lasertron Fury**!"

The immense energy pulse from the Robot's chest struck the back of the Death Ray's neck, enraging it! With a mighty roar, it moved away from the city, beating its great fins furiously in the air as it began to ascend after them.

Journeying into the orbit below the asteroid field was uneventful except for the occasional electric blast that barely missed hitting its fleeing target!

The plan was to turn around and resume the attack when they were sufficiently far enough from the planet. However, once it did turn, they discovered that the Death Ray was no longer following them.

"Hey, where did it go?" Chiro asked nervously.

"Stay alert, team," Antauri cautioned. "The creature is still in the vicinity."

Suddenly, Nova's alarm blared first. "Watch out! It's behind us and fast approaching from the right!"

The Robot turned, but it wasn't quick enough. The Death Ray demonstrated that outer space was its territory. Not only did it use the asteroids to mask its presence, it also easily emerged from the asteroid field without injuring itself. With a roar, it rammed its body onto the Robot's, sinking its diamond-sharp teeth into the neck!

"It's crunching into the hyper armor!" Otto screamed.

"At this rate, we will have a hull breach in a matter of minutes!" Gibson yelled.

"Got any bright ideas, Dr. Brainstrain?" asked Sprx.

Gibson indignantly stared at his monitor displaying Sprx. "Well, Sparky, Bright Idea Number One: stop referring to me by that unkindly nickname!"

Sprx returned the angry glare. "I'll stop calling you that when you stop calling me Sparky!"

"Save it for later, you two!" Chiro exclaimed over the noise of another bite! "Everyone, disengage!"

The Death Ray was caught by surprise when the Fist Rockets and the Brain Scrambler Pilot detached suddenly, enough surprise to release its bite in time for the Foot Crusher Cruisers and the Torso Tank Driver to move away!

The odds seemed to shift back into their favor again. Antauri and Chiro were on opposite ends of the Death Ray; Sprx and Gibson were flanking Chiro while Nova and Otto closed the circle with Antauri. Both the Monkey Team and the Death Ray discovered that fighting against six smaller opponents was more difficult than against one large one.

Still, outer space was its territory, and it easily evaded every single laser shot at it!

"This doesn't look so good," Otto murmured.

Roaring in frustration, the Death Ray swung its left fin at the nearest opponent, who was by chance Nova! She screamed as the Foot Crusher Cruiser Six spun uncontrollably!

"Nova!" Sprx yelled, piloting the Fist Rocket Three to intercept with her. However, the Death Ray anticipated that one would break formation and immediately attacked. The electrical explosion hit him head-on, disabling his ship's systems!

Otto screamed angrily as he went on the offense. He was firing every weapon he had as quickly as he could, and although some shots did strike the top of its body, the Death Ray proved to be an enduring opponent. With another roar, it bit onto the Foot Crusher Cruiser Five and tossed it aside! Gibson didn't have time to move the Fist Rocket Four out of the way before the two crashed into each other!

While the monster was distracted with Otto and Gibson, Antauri took the opportunity to make his way to Sprx and Nova. "Damage report?" he inquired them both.

"Believe me, you don't want to know," Nova immediately answered.

"Well, since you asked, you might as well know," Sprx said, ignoring Nova for once. "We both got nothing on power reserves. And without power, we can't escape or fight back."

"Antauri, look out!" Chiro suddenly shouted.

The Black Monkey's attention turned to his sensors, which he had ignored in his concern for Nova and Sprx. There was another electrical explosion headed directly for them! Antauri moved the Brain Scrambler Pilot Two forward and was able to knock Sprx out of the way, but the explosion impacted his ship before he could guide Nova to safety!

"Antauri!" she screamed, noticing that he took the hit in her stead.

"No!" Chiro yelled, advancing on the Death Ray. But the monster sharply turned in his direction and chomped down on the Torso Tank Driver One! Once again, Chiro was in terrible danger of an impending hull breach!

The others were badly damaged, unable to come to his aid.

Moments before the hull breach was about to become critical, a laser blast struck the underside of the Death Ray!

Roaring in surprise, the creature released Chiro and turned look at the new attacker.

Something piloted in their direction, flying only a few meters above the creature's eyes. Now, the arrival had the Death Ray's full attention. With a growl, it pursued the unfamiliar ship and began to charge another electric explosion. But it turned on the monster and fired another laser. This one struck one of the antennas, ripping it off before the explosion could ignite! With another blast, the other antenna was removed.

Injured and surprised, the beast remained still. Everyone noticed that the antennas were slowly growing back. However, since it was now defenseless without its weapons, the creature retreated into the asteroid field to wait out the healing process.

Momentarily safe, the Monkey Team looked at the new ship as it approached them. From their angle, they could see that its shape was that of a heart. Other than the three legs on the underside and the rocket engines on the rear, it was mostly flat. It was mainly a silver color, much like their own ships, but it was also highlighted with a light turquoise color.

"What is that?" Chiro asked, confused.

"It looks like my project!" Otto exclaimed, surprised.

"Let me guess…my party invitation got lost in the mail," a familiar voice said jokingly with a merry giggle.

"Is that—?" Gibson started to ask.

"The one and only Hayley Cometra, reporting for duty! And it looks like you guys could use some help. Heart Auxiliary Starship Seven, **go**!"

She began to turn in Nova's direction, and the front of her new vehicle (which was the bottom tip of the heart), began to glow a bright blue.

"Charging auxiliary control beam," Hayley reported, beginning to type in commands into her keyboard with one hand while still piloting her ship with the other. "Preparing to initiate power transfers."

Chiro became interested. "Hayley, what are you doing?"

"Well, there's no way I can fight this beast by myself. You guys might in badly damaged, but I can tell you're still in good fighting condition. Since I was able to buy us some time by knocking out the creature's antennas, I might as well transfer power in my systems to restore your energy cells. I have enough. Okay, Nova, you're first."

With a few more pushes of her buttons, the glow on the ship's front became an energy beam as it shot forward. The Foot Crusher Cruiser Six was bathed in its power.

"It's working!" Nova happily said. "I got my systems back. Thanks, Hayley."

Hayley looked at the monitor displaying the Yellow Monkey. Then, with a smile and a wink, she answered, "Anytime…sister."

Nova gasped in delight when she heard that.

Hayley's attention then turned to the Foot Crusher Cruiser Five. "Your turn, Otto." In the same way, the transfer sent the power onto Otto's vehicle.

"Looks like you came just at the right time," he told her.

She smiled back at him. "A lot of the credit goes to you, though, Otto. Once again, you've outdone yourself."

He began to laugh when he heard that. She was always the first to compliment his work.

When Otto's ship was finished, Hayley flew towards the Fist Rocket Four. "Here we go, Gibson."

"Yes, my systems are stabilizing," he replied. "But I have a superfluity of questions."

"I'm afraid answers will have to wait, Gibz," she said, laughing as she finished her sentence.

Gibson started to growl, but Hayley switched views on her monitor to display the inside of the Fist Rocket Three. As she started the power transfer for Sprx, she noticed that he had a shocked look on his face.

"What?" she shrugged.

"Well, for a minute, while you were fighting that monster, I thought your flight maneuvers looked familiar," he answered.

She laughed when she heard that. "Oh, come on, Sprx. You didn't seriously think I forgot your avionics training, did you?"

Sprx's jaw nearly hit the floor.

Hayley's attention then turned to the Brain Scrambler Pilot Two. A twinge of regret gripped her heart as she began to restore his power systems. Hesitantly, she began, "Antauri, listen…about what I said before—"

He lifted a hand, calmly interrupting her. "As I have stated, it is understandable. There is no need to apologize."

A single tear escaped her eye as she realized that she was indeed forgiven. Then, as she wiped it away, a mischievous grin formed on her face. "All right, team. Let's turn this creature into an overgrown tray of seafood!"

"Um, Hayley, aren't you forgetting someone?" Chiro asked.

To his surprise, she shook her head. "Don't worry, Chiro. I've got you covered. But we're going to need a direct connection to get your systems online again."

Chiro was confused. "What?"

Hayley rolled her eyes and began to maneuver her vehicle into position. "Let me put it this way: according to biology, where is the heart located?"

"Inside the—" he started to answer, but immediately stopped himself. "Oh, no…"

"Oh, yes. Initiating docking sequence."

"Uh, Hayley…"

"Calm down, Chiro. There may be a slight shake, but nothing serious."

"Hayley…"

"When we complete the sequence, we'll have a strong advantage. I can keep on eye on our defenses while you continue the counterattack."

"Hayley! How are you going to do this?"

She giggled. "There's a slot below the main cannon of your vehicle, Chiro. I found it in the schematic diagrams that Otto programmed in mine. My vehicle is the only one thin enough to fit inside. Like a floppy disk in a computer drive."

"Did you hack into my project's systems?" Otto asked, surprised.

"Well, I wouldn't call it hacking since you were going to give it to me, anyway," she answered.

A sudden tremor caught Chiro by surprise, but it lasted for only a few seconds. Once it was over, he discovered the power systems recharging to the point where they were nearly double of normal parameters! For the first time, he realized what an advantage this was.

"Nice," he said aloud, although mostly to himself.

"See?" she asked. "That wasn't so bad."

A familiar roar attracted everyone's attention as the Death Ray emerged from the asteroid field, antennas and all!

"Let's do it, team!" Chiro shouted.

At first, the battle didn't seem to be any different than before Hayley's arrival. The Death Ray sent several explosions at each of them, but the Monkey Team was better prepared on how to evade them. The heroes also remained in tighter formations and in groups; Antauri accompanied Sprx and Gibson while Nova and Otto stayed with Chiro and Hayley.

Together, they all fired their weapons. The creature roared as blast after blast struck it, even though none of the attacks seemed to have any effect.

As Hayley kept working on enhancing Chiro's weaponry, something caught her eye. Looking at one of her monitors, she zoomed in on the monster's left fin. There was a thin trail of smoke emerging from one of the blast points, and the injury left a layer of decaying skin.

"That's it," she realized. Her voice was quiet at first, but she activated an open channel to all of the ships. "Aim for the fins! The skin isn't as thick there! Cripple him!"

Knowing that this could be their best chance, they all aimed for the left fin and opened fire. The combined power of all six blasts on one body part was too much for the Death Ray; in a matter of seconds, the left fin was torn off!

It roared in pain and tried to reestablish its position! But the Hyperforce was already aiming at the other fin, blasting it off as well!

After that, the next few minutes of battle were smooth sailing until the creature was finally destroyed!

"We did it!" Nova exclaimed.

"Sushi shish kebab, Hayley?" Chiro asked.

"No, thank you," she answered. "I'm a vegetarian."

Everyone erupted into laughter.

* * *

Victory at last! Now, as the Monkey Team heads for home, Hayley has quite a story to tell. But will she tell it? And what has she learned from her horrifying experience? Find out in Chapter Six: Always Return.

_In response to Chapter Four's reviews_…

**Crystal Persian**: Sure, you can use her in one of your stories. Just try not to do anything too crazy with her. To be honest, I'm still developing her personality. My only other request is that you don't let her get too close to Otto; she's still trying to sort out her feelings for him. And don't worry; I haven't forgotten about the idea you gave me at the end of my first fanfic. I'm working on that one.

**love-writer**: Well, I haven't forgotten your suggestion. I tried to indicate that when Nova said that they couldn't leave Hayley unconscious, but I suppose I haven't made the hint strong enough. I hope this chapter better satisfies your request with Antauri taking the hit for Nova.

**4Evermonkeyfan**: I had a particularly hard time trying to figure out how Hayley was going to get out of that. I knew that the plot wouldn't be half as exciting if the team was able to save her. But when I remembered "In the Grip of Evil", I tried to write out my own version of how she would escape the void. Noticing your satisfaction tells me that I managed to pull it off.


	6. Always Return

Disclaimer: I don't own SRMTHFG or any of its characters, just my character and this plot. Also, the song "This is Where I Belong" sung by Bryan Adams is not mine; it's from the Dreamworks movie _Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron_. If you haven't seen that movie, you should. It's one of my personal favorites!

* * *

**Chapter Six: Always Return**

"One at a time, please!" Hayley exclaimed as everyone except Antauri and Otto was bombarding her with questions.

Everyone who was asking her questions finally stopped and, collectively, took a deep breath.

"It was an amazing experience, albeit a frightening one," she started to explain. "There was nothing to see, nothing to hear. It was complete emptiness. I didn't know what to make of it. At first, I couldn't understand— Ouch! Gently, Otto!"

"I'm sorry, Hayley, but you got nasty damage in your shoulder," he told her, continuing with her repairs. "You hit the street really hard."

Hayley sighed and remained silent for a few moments, flinching every time he found a loose connection in her circuitry and every time he fixed a dent in her armor. This was a painful process, but someone had to do it since she couldn't administer any treatment to herself.

"As I was saying," she started again, "I couldn't understand why Skeleton King told me plainly that my own anger brought me to that void. I hated him for telling me that I was responsible for my own torment. But even as I hated myself for stepping into that realm, I discovered that it was those kinds of emotions that kept me in that realm. Hatred, despair, anger…they were all sending me deeper into that void."

"So if you were so lost in there, how did you get out?" Sprx asked.

Hayley hesitated. She wondered if she should tell them about the man riding on the winged horse and helping her focus. She knew that he told her not to speak of him, but she never promised that she wouldn't, and she felt that they should know that man's identity.

She was just moments from telling them when she realized something: even she didn't know who he was. She had asked for his name, but he never gave it to her.

So she quickly thought of a way around it as she looked at Antauri. "I remembered the meditation session you started with me, Antauri," she said with a smile. "As I started to focus, I found my hope again. And…I think that's where my light comes from. When I have hope, I feel strong." She then blushed, laughing nervously. "Sorry, I guess that doesn't make much sense."

"Actually, I think it makes perfect sense," he answered.

"Ouch!" she grunted again, flinching under Otto's repairs.

"All done!" he announced, finally closing the metal panel on her upper back.

"You know, Hayley, judging by the gravitational pull, you are truly fortunate that the impact upon the street didn't create a deadly ignition in your jetpack," Gibson noticed.

"Huh?" Otto asked, puzzled.

"He's saying I'm lucky I didn't explode," she translated.

"Oh."

Sprx smirked. "Yeah, and like I said before, Hayley's got by far a better bedside manner than Doctor—"

"Sprx…" Gibson warned.

Hayley only gave another of her sweet giggles before sighing. "Big day today."

Sprx smiled. "Teasing Otto, training with Nova, meditating with Antauri, facing the Formless by yourself, escaping a void, and piloting a new vehicle. Yeah, I'd say you had a really big day."

"Maybe we should leave you alone to soak it all in," Chiro suggested, already beginning to guide the remaining monkeys out of Sick Bay.

The only one who remained was Antauri. As he turned to look at Hayley, she got the impression that he still wanted to talk to her.

"I sense that you're not telling us the entire truth, Hayley," he said, gently but firmly.

Again, she hesitated. She hated keeping secrets, especially from Antauri. Her most recent failure to listen to his advice nearly destroyed the goodness inside of her. Dare she risk that again?

"I'm sorry, Antauri, I can't talk about the rest of the story."

"Hayley, are we not worthy of your trust?"

"No, no, no, it's not that. It's just…" She paused, wondering how to best say it. "Someone once told me, 'everything will be revealed in its proper time'. I really don't feel like this is the time to complete the truth."

He stared back at her, genuinely surprised. In all the time he had known her, she had never spoken with wisdom beyond what was her own. This made him suspect that she truly had an overwhelming experience.

"Very well," he finally said. "But know this: when you feel that the proper time has come, do not hesitate to tell any of us."

"I promise," she immediately answered.

Smiling at her, he turned and left. She slid off the medical bed and made her way to the higher levels of the Robot.

---------

Some time later, everyone was relaxed and taking the time for more leisurely activities…except for Nova, who had night duty with Antauri this particular evening.

"I'm so happy that Hayley finally sees herself as a sister to us instead of a stepsister," she said when he entered the Command Center to join her in the shift.

"Yes, but more importantly, she sees herself for who she is instead of what she is," he replied, calm but equally happy. "And who she is isn't unlike who we are."

Nova nodded, glanced at one of the monitors, and then turned her attention to him again. "You were right. She's a lot stronger than she knows."

Agreeing, Antauri answered, "I believe we are all stronger than we know. Hayley's theory that we each have our own unique fragment of light is intriguing and worthy of intense meditation and philosophical research."

Only vaguely interested, she looked at the monitor again and said, "Let me know if you make any progress."

---------

Hayley allowed the night wind to caress her cheek as its whispers arrived from Shuggazoom Park. The moon, Ranger Seven, illuminated the silvery metal parts of her body. She looked ahead. The first sight she saw was the bay and Shuggazoom Bridge. Beyond it were the eastern outskirts, not too far from the mountain range where she had landed when she had escaped from the Citadel of Bone.

She felt welcomed by everything she saw. Yes, for the first time, she could look around and know that she felt welcome.

Wrapped in her joy, she couldn't help herself as she started to sing:

_I hear the wind across the plain,_

_A sound so strong that calls my name._

_It's wild like the river._

_It's warm like the sun._

_Yeah, it's here, this is where I belong._

_Under the starry skies_

_Where eagles have flown,_

_This place is paradise._

_It's the place I call home._

_The moon on the mountains,_

_The whisper through the trees,_

_The waves on the water;_

_Let nothing come between this and me._

'_Cause everything I want_

_Is everything that's here._

_And when we're all together,_

_There's nothing to fear._

"Hayley?"

Slowly, she turned her head to gaze upon Chiro. He seemed relieved to find her on the Super Robot's shoulder…again.

"It's getting late, Hayley. We should all be in bed."

"Five more minutes?" she asked.

Chiro crossed his arms in front of his chest. "That's what you told Otto five minutes ago."

Hayley's eyes started to beg with him. "At least let me finish this song. Please?"

Poor Chiro tried to keep a straight face, but looking at the puppy-like look in her face melted his heart. "All right," he answered, laughing. "But I want you inside as soon as you're done." He then turned and, very slowly, went back inside.

"Yes, daddy," she said sarcastically, giving a merry giggle before resuming:

_And wherever I wander,_

_The one thing I've learned:_

_Yeah, it's to here I will always,_

_Always return._

Sighing in happiness as she caught sight of a shooting star, she finally turned and went inside.

---------

Unknown to all, Skeleton King watched on his TV Machine as the young Robot Monkey retired for the night.

"That naïve little nuisance," he growled. "If I cannot possess her power, no one shall."

---------

Hayley had not been in her quarters even thirty seconds before her doorbell rang.

"Come in?"

Somehow, she didn't find it surprising when the door opened to reveal Otto.

She smiled at him, but it was the kind of smile that indicated that she was slightly annoyed. "You know, you don't really have to check in on me every night," she gently told him.

"I know," he answered. "But I feel safer knowing that you're still here."

"Otto, I'm not going anywhere."

"That's good to know."

She giggled lightly upon hearing that.

He smiled back and suddenly lunged at her. "Come here, you!" he said playfully, scooping her in his arms. They both laughed happily as Otto began to gently twirl her around the room. But when they ended up near Hayley's sleeping pod, he carefully set her inside. When all four paws touched the soft mattress, she slowly started to spin in place.

"Why do you do that?" he asked.

"It's a wild habit," she answered as she lowered her body to the bed. "Young monkeys often fall prey to predators, so they turn around a few times to be sure there are none in sight before settling down."

"But you know there's no danger here."

"I know. Like I said, it's a habit."

For a moment, there was an awkward silence between them.

"Um, Hayley?"

"Yes?"

Otto hesitated, not really sure of how to tell her.

"You really had us worried there for a second, you know, when you fainted."

"I know."

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

Curious and caught by surprise, she lifted her head up and looked right at him. She was amazed at how honestly he was opening up to her. Amazed, honored, moved…and a little afraid.

Otto suddenly realized what he had said and blushed. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay," she answered, trying to lighten up his tone. "I'm sure the others were equally as worried as you."

He watched with a whimsical smile as she closed her eyes and began to curl up like a tiny kitten. He reached out his hand to pat her head, but he was inches from touching her when he noticed something near her sleeping pod. It was the Pegasus Guardian Angel Nova gave her. He picked it up and looked at it.

"What's this?" he asked.

She opened her eyes and smiled. "It was a gift."

"Oh. Who gave—?"

But when Otto looked at her again, he stopped himself. Her eyes were closed again, and she gave a big yawn. He knew that this had been a big day for her, so he silently decided to leave it at that, not knowing that she yawned on purpose.

He placed the stuffed animal near her face, and she responded by slowly wrapping one arm around it and nuzzling her nose against its soft body.

Otto slowly stepped out and quietly closed her door. Then, entering his quarters and jumping into his sleeping pod, he scratched his head in confusion and embarrassment. "Gee, and I thought Sprx sounded goofy when he'd mess up telling Nova."

And as he settled onto his mattress, he thought about Hayley's gift. "That stuffed animal. I could have sworn I saw something like that before…"

But before he could think anything of it, he was fast asleep.

* * *

Well, everyone (and anyone), what did you think? Favorite parts? Not-so-favorite parts? Ideas? Suggestions? Constructive criticisms? Please review! 

_In response to Chapter Five's reviews_…

**Crystal Persian**: The compliments and reviews are much appreciated. Thanks! I look forward to whatever fanfic you plan for my OC.

**4Evermonkeyfan**: Thanks. Battles aren't usually my strong point, especially when it comes to thinking up monsters that haven't already been used by either the show or by popular fanfic authors (including a few I've met here). And I had a very hard time trying to figure out the name for Hayley's ship. But, it all worked out.

**love-writer**: If anyone's at fault for missing out on the touching part, it's me. I realize that I didn't make that particular point strong enough, even before your review. But, constructive criticisms are good reminders that no one is perfect. Thanks.


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